Decker Oaks residents told to boil their water

Brian Walzel

Published
7:00 pm CDT, Tuesday, May 24, 2005

The situation came to a boil last week when a water booster pump shut down in Decker Oaks and more than 225 households in the subdivision were forced to either boil their tap water before consuming it or buy bottled water.

Parts of a pump that supplies water to the area shut down for several hours on May 15.

According to utilities owner Susie Coffman-Weeden, after the booster pump shut down, they were forced by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state entity that regulates water distribution, to notify their residents to take precautions against possible bacteria build-up in the water tanks by boiling their water in order to rid it of any chemicals.

The residents had to do so for approximately three days, from Monday through Wednesday while the TCEQ tested the water for possible contamination.

Coffman-Weeden contacted The Potpourri on May 19, stating test results from TCEQ had come back negative and Decker Oaks residents would be notified later that day that they would no longer need to boil their water.

Coffman-Weeden explained that whenever a booster pump shuts down, water pressure drops to a low amount and sediments in the water tank, including possibly bacteria, settle to the bottom of the tank.

It is at that point, Coffman-Weeden said, that the TCEQ requires property administrators to notify their residents of the need to boil their water.

Coffman-Weeden said the pump went out at around 11:30 a.m. on May 15 and was up and running again by 7:30 p.m.

She said this was the first time the property has had this problem with its water system.

"This has not been a problem in the past," she said.

She said two new booster pumps have been purchased and should be installed by the end of the month.

"We are doing everything we can to make everyone happy," she said.

Decker Oaks residents Pablo and Kendina Morales said that last week's water problems have been the latest in a long line of problems with the subdivision.

"It's always something out here," Kendina said.

They both said several phone calls they placed to property owners were never returned.

Pablo said they had to purchase large containers of water to hold them over for the week. Kendina said some of the biggest concerns they had were washing their dishes and brushing their teeth in potentially contaminated water.

Bathing and showering were also concerns, they said.

"How do you tell a 2-year-old not to drink the water when they're taking a bath?" she said.

The Morales' have lived in Decker Oaks two years and have been frustrated with a number of issues they have faced since then.

They claim part of the plans for the subdivision called for a swimming pool to be installed, but one has yet to be built. They also say they are displeased with the overall look of the subdivision.